Stranded
by Akanasu
Summary: Yugi's feeling down about not being able to protect himself against bullies. Yami comes to the rescue, as usual, but for once Yugi is tired of it. Can they overcome this obstacle? (Yah I know, I suck at summaries. -.-) (FINISHED! ^_^)
1. In the Tree

Hi everyone, this is my strange attempt at a one-shot fic involving Yami Yugi/Yugi. Eheheh. I wanted to break free of the usual writing pattern, which is..well, I guess you know. Or maybe you don't. It's pretty cliche from what I read anyway. Anywho, I'm babbling now, so why doncha just go on and read the fic, huh? ^^'' ENJOY!  
  
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Stranded  
  
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- [ Yugi ] -  
  
"Get up, pipsqueak."  
  
The tone of voice was all too familiar to me. Mocking. Sneering.  
  
"I said, GET UP."  
  
I wasn't going to comply. Why should I? All that thug would do was punch me again. And my cheek was swollen enough as it was. Instead I spat at his feet.  
  
"Idiot."  
  
A sharp kick into my stomach caused me to double up in pain. I bit my lip, absorbing it, as so many times I had done before. I was lying on the floor huddled up in a ball; possibly in the most pathetic position that could be imagined by anyone in this screwed up world. With this in mind, I rose to my knees and stared the bully in the eye, glaring with all the hatred of people like me, people who'd been beaten up countless times by those for no good reason at all. Sure, I was smaller than him. Smarter than him too. But that was no reason to beat on me.  
  
"Hah. Givin' in, are you? Smart choice, tiny."  
  
Anger boiled in my veins, and I so wished I could hit him, crush his face in, pull his hair out. But I could barely reach the fat guy's face, much less touch him without receiveing major injuries in return.  
  
Slowly I raised myself enough so that I was again standing on my own two feet. The thug raised his fist again, and I stood ready. He brought his fist back, farther and farther. And still I stood, watching carefully, waiting for the exact moment, exact second, when I would duck, slip under his gorilla-shaped arms and run away.  
  
A cowardly thing to do, running away. But what choice did I have?  
  
The thug grinned and started into his attack, but something stopped him. Anger worked its way into his features and he swung around to face that who dared disturb him. I backed away slowly, moving slightly to the side so I could see around the bully.  
  
Ah. Yami. Just as I expected.  
  
- [ Yami ] -  
  
Poor Yugi. Always getting beat up by bullies and the like. It had happened too many times before, and here it was happening again.  
  
"You leave him alone," I snarled, gripping the fist that was, just a moment before, ready to swing at Yugi. My poor hikari.  
  
The bully's face was twisted in anger, but I gave him such a look of animosity, and I twisted his fist with all the strength I had put aside for just this that the bully's eyes widened in pain and fright. He turned and ran.  
  
Yugi was standing no less than two feet away. I took two quick steps forward, bringing my hand up to my aibou's face. His cheek was swollen, his eye a sickly black-blue colour, and cuts were scattered about his delicate complexion. "Yugi..." I whispered. He turned away, his small hands curling into fists. I waited for the usual thanks and grateful smile, and perhaps the not-so-usual hug, when he'd bury his face in my chest. But today...nothing. He just stood there, shaking. His face was hidden by his golden bangs, and he stared at the ground.  
  
"Yugi..." I reached out to him, more than ready to hold him, to comfort him, to tell him that it was alright. To clean off his face. To help him.  
  
But today was different.  
  
Today, he turned and ran.  
  
- [ Yugi ] -  
  
I ran, feeling the wind in my face. I ran as fast and as far as I could, away from the park, where I'd just been beat up. I ignored my Yami's shouts behind me. Why did he always have to be there? Why did he always have to come and save me? Why could I never fight for myself??  
  
A quick glance over my shoulder told me that he wasn't in pursuit. "Good," I thought bitterly. I didn't need his company. I didn't need him to hug me and whisper soft words of comfort into my ear while dabbing at my cuts and bruises tenderly with a warm cloth. No. I shook my head vigorously. I slowed down into a walk. The Game Shop wasn't too far now. Just a block away. I decided I'd head there. It wasn't as though I had anything better to do.  
  
- [ Yami ] -  
  
I shoved my hands in my pockets. Yugi was acting really strange. Watching him run off in the direction of the Game Shop gave me a sharp pain in the heart. I wondered desperately what I'd done wrong.  
  
Maybe Yugi just needed some time to cool off...to be by himself for a while.  
  
My little hikari disappeared from view and I sighed.  
  
I hoped desperately that he wouldn't go and do something stupid. After a while I started jogging in his direction, hoping to catch him. Maybe I could help sort this out.  
  
- [ Yugi ] -  
  
I reached the game shop. I peeked inside the front windows only to see my friends there, talking with Grandpa. I quickly ducked out of view again in case they saw me. I didn't feel like talking to them at the moment.  
  
Instead I walked around the side of the small shop and stopped in the back yard. I glanced up at the large oak tree that sat peacefully beside the building. It always provided shade for me when I sat reading in the garden, and sometimes I climbed it, seeking security in its humble branches and protective leaves.  
  
But that was before Yami. Yami was my protector now...  
  
But no more. He didn't always need to burst in and save the day. I wished that I could fight my own fights for once. Just once...  
  
I scampered up the tree. If there was one thing that I was good at, it was climbing trees. The branches were oh-so-familiar, and I had no problems getting up almost to the top in barely any time at all.  
  
"Good to see you again, old friend." I smiled as I said this, leaning back against the sturdy trunk. I picked a single leaf off the tree. It had a small hole in it where a bug had probably eaten through. I used it to wipe my face, careful to avoid spots that pained too much to bear. When I looked at the leaf again it was spotted red. I smirked, but that caused my cheek to hurt so I stopped. Letting my leg dangle off the tree branch, I sighed in what I thought to be an apathetic way.  
  
I suppose it was more of a sad sigh though.  
  
- [ Yami ] -  
  
The more I ran, the more I felt guilty for making Yugi angry. I still didn't know for sure what was wrong, but I was sure that it was my fault in some way. Why else would Yugi have run?  
  
I arrived at the Game Shop sooner than I had anticipated. Stopping just outside the doors, I debated with myself whether to go in or not. Well, it was worth a shot anyway. Pushing open the door and strolling in, I was about to go right past the counter and up the stairs to Yugi's room, hoping to find the disgruntled teen there.  
  
I was so absorbed in thought that I almost didn't hear the greeting that Tea, Tristan, Joey and Grandpa called to me. I looked up in surprise. "Oh, hello there..." I managed to say. "Hey, have you guys seen Yugi anywhere?"  
  
They exchanged confused glances. "We thought he was with you."  
  
I nodded, feeling dejected. "Let me know if you see him, ok?"  
  
The others nodded as I made my way up the stairs. I didn't really have a reason, but since I didn't know where else to look, I had nothing else to do except go into our room and wait for him to come back. Assuming he would come back...  
  
This thought struck me. What if he didn't come back?  
  
Great, another thing to worry about. I believed strongly that Yugi would definately not run away, although the possibility never left my head. I went and lay down on the bed we shared, staring hopefully out the window. My eyes wandered about, looking from the neighbour's hanging laundry to the Motou's garden to the large oak tree that had been there for quite a long time. I smiled a little. Then my eyes started wandering again...From the blue pant leg hanging from a branch of the oak tree to a dog sniffing around the fence post to...wait.  
  
My pupils darted back to the pant leg. There was a shoe connected to the end of it. I looked down at my own pant leg and shoe. There was definately a resemblance. Realization set in very quickly, so fast I just had to grin.  
  
I opened the window and climbed nimbly out of it, using the strong branch of the oak tree to support me. Crawling along the limb of the old tree, I made my way over to the place where the leg was hanging from. I climbed up to the branch next to it with little difficulty and sat there, catching my breath a little. He looked so beautiful...Just lying there, sleeping...My little angel.  
  
I lay my hand onto his cheek gently. He had turned away earlier, but now he just let out a tiny sigh of contentment. I smiled.  
  
- [ Yugi ] -  
  
I was running. Running as fast as I could. I was trying to get away from someone, or something..I couldn't remember at that point. The woods I was running through were cruel. The leaves, branches, tree roots, all grabbed at me, tore my clothes. I tripped twice, both times just scrambling back up to my feet again.  
  
There was a light, and that's what I was running towards. The forest was thick with vegetation and now my only thought was to get back into the sunshine.  
  
Closer...closer...until...  
  
"AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!" I screamed loudly as I ran right off the edge of a cliff. So this was where the forest ended. "YAMI!" I screamed again. "YAMI!" I kept repeating it, over and over and over as I fell, again out of the sun and into the immense darkness.  
  
- [ Yami ] -  
  
I had been watching Yugi closely. It appeared he was dreaming - and it wasn't a good dream. His face was twisted in anxiety and he started to pant. Worry creased my own face, but I let him dream. Suddenly he screamed and started thrashing about. I jumped in surprise and nearly slid off the tree.  
  
Yugi was starting to slip, too, still moving his body violently. He was yelling again as well. "YAMI! YAMI!"  
  
Yugi needed me. Three stories doesn't seem that much of a fall, but after falling all that way you'd beg to differ.  
  
I hooked my legs around a slimmer branch and grabbed onto his arm just as he fell off the branch, grunting with the effort. He was small and therefore fairly light, but I wasn't really that much bigger than him. Worse yet, the branch my legs were hooked onto was starting to bend.  
  
"Damn. YUGI! YUGI, WAKE UP!!" I shouted at the little one. He blinked then looked down and gasped in fear. "Yugi!! Damnit, grab onto a branch already!" He looked up at me in shock. His eyes then traveled to my hands, grasped firmly around his. The slim branch was bending quickly. Yugi quickly realized what was happening, and reached with his other arm around a branch directly below the one he'd just fallen off of.  
  
Yugi scrambled to safely.  
  
The fragile limb snapped just as Yugi righted himself.  
  
I started to fall.  
  
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Whew. Yup, I am going to continue. This was going to be a one-shot fic, and it will be when I send it in. That is, send it into this Yu-Gi-Oh writing contest. (http://www.geocities.com/yugiohfanfiction/) Not now though, I couldn't wait to post it. ~_^  
  
Please let me know what you think, kay? ^_^ Thanks!! 


	2. Confession

Ooh. I got such nice reviews. Thanks guys! ^_^ I luv ya all!  
  
By the way, I decided not to enter this into the Yu-Gi-Oh fanfic contest thinger ( http://www.geocities.com/yugiohfanfiction/ ) with this story. I actually kind of planned it to be somewhat different, but the characters seemed to want it to go in this direction. O_o Also I think I've come up with a better idea for a story. Similar...sort of the same idea but rewritten..if that makes any sense at all. -.- Anyway, it's called "Fading" and I posted it er...a few days ago. So go read it, I entered it in the contest thinger intstead. ~_^  
  
Anywhozzles, ENJOY!!  
  
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Stranded - pt. 2  
  
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- [ Yugi ] -  
  
I stared in shock as Yami flew past me through the tree branches. I couldn't have registered it in my brain quickly enough to have actually realized he was falling, but luckily reflex kicked in and I reached out to grab him.  
  
His weight almost sent us both toppling down to the earth, which I knew now was quite a ways down below us. Yami twisted his head up to face me, apalled at my sudden spurt of strength. His shock quickly transformed to immense happiness, and he smiled at me.  
  
Then I had a strange experience, almost as though I was floating on nothing but air. It was especially strange because at the same time I was gripping onto a bulky tree branch for my dear life. I started feeling really giddy at that point. But this too, was a stupid feeling because my dear Yami was just starting to slip from my grasp as I strained to keep him in my grip.  
  
Then the weight was released from me...just like that. "NO!" I shouted, and I flailed my arm wildly, attempting to somehow get him back up with me again.  
  
"Shhhh, aibou..."  
  
I stopped immediately, and my hand was met with that of Yami's. I looked down and saw Yami, again simply smiling up at me. I could swear for a minute that he was just hovering there, that he'd spurted a gorgeous pair of angelic feathered wings, and with that thought in mind I fainted.  
  
- [ Yami ] -  
  
I walked into the front doors of the Game Shop a few minutes after catching Yugi just as he slipped off that tree branch..again. As I walked in I was greeted with stunned stares from Tea, Joey, Tristan and Gramps. I looked down at Yugi in turn. The poor little guy had exerted all the strength he possesed in his effort to save me. He looked exhausted, to say the least. Not to mention his beat up and swollen face, which was now a bright cherry colour. I said nothing but simply took Yugi into the living area behind the shop and lay his weary body down gently on the couch. I lay a quick kiss on his forehead, then dashed off to collect various supplies.  
  
When I walked back into the room a little while later, bearing a number of things that I knew would help make Yugi's condition better, the small group of people from the front of the store earlier were huddled around Yugi on the couch. I pushed my way though them and kneeled down beside Yugi, who was still sleeping. I took a cloth out a bowl filled with warm water and began applying it carefully to Yugi's face. As I did, questions were thrown at me from all around the couch.  
  
"Why is Yugi so beat up?"  
  
"Is he OK?"  
  
"What happened??"  
  
I did my best to answer them, but the answers seemed quite vague as I was preoccupied with cleaning Yugi off. He moaned a little as the cloth ran over his tender spots, and I applied a gentler touch when he did, making a quick mental note of where these spots were.  
  
I was finished relatively quickly, and when I was I then began putting band-aids on his cuts. As soon as I was done with this, I looked over him twice to make sure he was completely patched up, then rested my head on Yugi's chest. The others seemed to see that, even though I wasn't beaten up like Yugi was, I was still tired from the whole episode. They backed away slowly, and I heard whispering coming from them, but I didn't hear the words. So instead I focused on Yugi, and his steady, slow heartbeat. I chuckled a bit to think that just minutes before, it was most likely racing with adrenaline. Listening to it now put my own heart at peace, and I drifted off to sleep like this.  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
  
- [ Yugi ] -  
  
I awoke later on a comfy leather couch, which I soon figured had to be the one in my house, with a dazed expression on my face and something very weighty on my chest. Straining my head to look down, I saw that it was Yami, sleeing peacefully. I sighed and leaned my head against the arm of the couch again, closing my eyes as I did this.  
  
"Yugi?" said a voice that sounded like Joey's quite near me. I pretended not to hear it; I really didn't feel like talking to anyone at the moment.  
  
"Hey, Yug!" the voice said again, more insistently this time. I mumbled a few words that sounded vaguely like "go away," beneath my breath and turned my head towards the back of the couch, hugging Yami closer to me.  
  
"YUG-"  
  
"Shut up already Joey, he's trying to sleep!" I heard Tea interrupt him with an edge of annoyance in her voice. I smiled discreetly to myself at this, and lay there silently for a while, pretending to sleep as they talked quietly among themselves. I didn't listen though; I was more concered about Yami and his warm body, feeling him breathe slowly as he slept. Eventually the group of unwelcome people left the room and I waited a few minutes before sitting up slowly, lifting Yami's head up to face me.  
  
His face bore a number of small scratches and scrapes, undoubtedly from the episode with the tree we'd just had. Sweat made his face glisten a little. A worried and strangely serene expression lined his face and he stirred slightly in his sleep. I felt tears well up in my eyes; he'd put himself on the line for me, taken my pain and endured it without a single comment, he'd saved me too many times to count, and I'd done nothing for him. Not a single thing.  
  
I closed my eyes as the tears leaked out, and when they opened again I saw Yami staring at me, concern lining his face.  
  
"There there, Yugi...why are you crying?"  
  
I only sobbed harder, hugging him tightly. He seemed to be in a rather awkward position; keeling on the floor with his upper body twisted to be able to receive my hug. He didn't say anything though, and only patted me on my back. By now I was in hysterics. I couldn't understand why he cared so much for me, why he would time and time again protect me and never expect anything in return.  
  
Maybe...maybe he saw that I was just so weak I couldn't ever protect myself, and he had a heart so golden that he loved nothing more to help people that cannot help themselves. Why, oh why couldn't I just help myself for once? If only I could give Yami a break...just once...  
  
My sobs had slowed down considerably, and now my tears were almost dried up. Yami was still squeezing me, rubbing my back gently. I pushed him away and instead hugged my own knees. They weren't as warm and not nearly as comfortable, but at least they weren't Yami.  
  
"Aibou..." Yami's voice radiated a feeling of alarm and confusion. "Are you okay?"  
  
I bit my lip to stop the fresh set of tears and remained silent.  
  
"Yugi...?"  
  
I couldn't stand it anymore. He sounded hurt and so worried that I couldn't just leave him like that. He deserved better.  
  
Taking in a deep breath, I said in a quivering voice, "I'm a coward, Yami. I'm either running away or waiting until you save me. It's a cowardly thing to do, running away..." I choked back a sob.  
  
"No, Yugi, no...It's so much more cowardly to beat defenseless people up." Yami's features relaxed and kindness leaked in to replace the worry.  
  
"But...but..." I stopped to steady my breath, then continued. "But why do you keep on helping me like this? Why do you care?"  
  
Yami was smiling and speaking in a soothing voice, like you might to a frightened child. "Because I do, Yugi. Why do I need a reason to?"  
  
"But I- I don't deserve it."  
  
"You deserve it more than anyone else I can think of, Yugi."  
  
"I'm too much trouble for you."  
  
"You're never trouble enough, my sweet little aibou. Don't feel so guilty."  
  
"But...Why, Yami?" I inquired in barely a whisper. "Why?"  
  
Yami leaned into me, placing his hands on my shoulders to steady my shaking form. "Because I love you, Yugi," he whispered back into my ear. "I love you more than anyone...more than anything...You're the reason I live and breathe, Yugi. You're my other half, my hikari, you're so much a part of me that if...If I ever lost you, I'd lose myself, too. I'm only happy if you're happy. I couldn't live with myself if I'd ever let anything bad happen to you. That's why, Yugi." He leaned back and gave me a tiny kiss on the cheek. I felt my face grow red as the tears fought their way back out again.  
  
"Yami..." I was too overwhelmed for words, so instead I leaned my head onto his strong shoulder and he pulled me into yet another hug. With him so close to me, returning such love that I could barely hold it all, I suddenly realized that that feeling of giddiness in the tree earlier was because I was helping Yami - I was being strong, Yami had needed me for once. And now I also knew that he needed me regardless, not phsyically but mentally, which was the whole reason he protected me with such passion.  
  
We stayed like that - just hugging - for a while, and I was so tremendously relieved and happy that I didn't even care when Joey popped his head in and fell over in shock at the sight of us in such an intimate embrace.  
  
In fact, I didn't really care about much at the moment. As long as Yami was there with me, everything was alright...  
  
( The end )  
  
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O_O Ooer. That was rather nice, wasn't it? Anwyay, please tell me what you thought of it! I get insanely giggly-ish when I read nice reviews. ~_^ Even if you hated it, I wouldn't really mind...Well actually I would, but still... -_- So REVIEW! ^_^ 


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